HOW NAF FIRST FEMALE PILOT DIED. ….Nigerians mourn amidst eulogies ….Tolulope’s death, a national disaster say Gov. Bello.
Oru Leonard
Amidst mourning in the military circles and expression of shock from different parts of the nation, details have emerged on life and times of the first female combat helicopter pilot in Nigeria, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile and how she died.
Arotile reportedly died Tuesday at the age of 24, when she was inadvertently hit by the reversing vehicle of an excited former Air Force Secondary School classmate while trying to greet her.
Announcing her death in a statement late Tuesday, spokesman of Nigeria, Air Force, Ibikunle Daramola, said Arotile died as a result of head injuries sustained from a road traffic accident at NAF Base in Kaduna State.
Arotile died barely a year after she was winged as a combat helicopter pilot in the Air Force following the completion of her course in South Africa.
Describing Arotile’s career as one of “impactful service” who contributed “significantly to the efforts to rid the North Central states of armed bandits and other criminal elements, Daramola said the combat pilot flew several combat missions under Operation Gama Aiki in Minna, Niger State.
President Muhammad Buhari has since commiserated with NAF, Arotile’s family, the Nigerian Air Force, airmen, airwomen and all friends of the deceased, recalling her deft skills in manoeuvring combat helicopters, which he had physically witnessed with pride.
“The President sympathises with government and people of Kogi State on the loss”, a presidential statement added.
PMB prayed that the Almighty God will receive the soul of the departed and comfort the family she left behind.
The First Lady, Dr Aisha Buhari, also described the death of Tolulope Arotile, as heartbreaking.
The First Lady through her verified twitter handle, @aishambuhari, said she received the news with a heavy heart and condoled with the family of the deceased Flying Officer, Nigerian Airforce and the country over the loss.
In his tweet after her death, the Chief of Air Staff @CAS-AM Sadique said: “She was a very intelligent, disciplined, confident and courageous young officer who added value wherever she served. As a Squadron Pilot in Operation Gama Aiki in Minna, Niger State, she flew her quota of anti-banditry combat missions to ensure a safer, more secured Nigeria.
“Recall meeting her at Minna Airport while on an operational visit, after one of such missions and seeing her eagerness to contribute towards the restoration of lasting peace to the affected areas.” CAS noted.
Many personalities in Nigeria have continued to poured in
eulogies to the late Tolulope with different adj; Governor Yahaya Bello said her death is a national disaster.n Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, while mourning her death, said she left indelible footprints as a dedicated officer and Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot.
Lawan further said that Arotile was a role model for young women and the Nigerian youths in general with her focus and dedication to service and calling.
The House of Representatives through its Chairman, Committee on Air Force, Shehu Koko, on behalf of his committee, said Arotile was “a heroine whose contribution in the war against terrorism and other criminal elements in the country cannot be wished away easily.
Born on December 13, 1995, to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Akintunde Arotile in Kaduna, Flying Officer Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile hails from Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
She attended Air Force Primary School, Kaduna from 2000 to 2005 and Air Force Secondary School, Kaduna from 2006 to 2011 before she later gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna as a member of 64 Regular Course on 22 September 2012.
Flying Officer Arotile was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force as a Pilot Officer September 16, 2017 and held a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Flying Officer Arotile was winged as the first-ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force on October 15, 2019, after completing her flying training in South Africa.
She holds a commercial pilot license and also underwent tactical flying training on the Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopter in Italy.
Incidentally, she introduced the newly acquired Agusta 109 Power Attack Helicopter to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, during the induction ceremony at Eagles Square in Abuja on February 6, 2020.
Flying Officer Arotile joined the Nigerian Air Force out of a passion for the job. In her words: “I joined the military simply out of a passion for it. Being military personnel has been a long time ambition, the carriage, and what it stands for are simply exceptional.”
“Gone too soon like a candle in the wind, she will be greatly missed by the entire Nigerian Air Force family. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on behalf officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the Service, consoles with the family of late Flying Officer Arotile over this irreparable loss. May her gentle soul continue to Rest In Peace”, Daramola concluded.
